Need help choosing a rifle.

[esaabye]

I am looking for my first .30 cal and need some advice.

First a few of my goals:
Long Range (300-600) SHTF rifle
Useful for hunting, should double as my deer/elk rifle if possible
SemiAuto
Reliable

Problems:
I am left handed; I hear that will be an issue with an M1A and M1
I am cheap (maybe thrify is better) and need to get this past the wife so would rather not break the bank. This is why if it doubles as a hunting rifle I can justify it better.
I want a caliber that is easy to find in both ball and hunting rounds, thinking 308….

So based on that I see a few rifles but have never shot any of them; the M1 (love the history), the M1A (like having a mag), the FAL (no idea) and the AR-10 (familiar platform).

What advice and experience do you all have that can help me out?

Thanks!

[BigBear]

Esaabye, there are a ton of wonderful options out there. I have a .308 as well. If price is the deciding factor and you're looking for something factory check out the Savage, Remington, Howa offerings and the like.

A great resource I've used is to go over to Snipercentral.com and talk to mel (screen name "Mele"). He's the moderator of the site, retired operator, and a friend. He puts together different long rifle packages for different budgets from the beginner to the professional. He'll take the time to talk to you (email or phone) and explain what stuff does, etc, even if you don't buy from him. Great guy all around.

[mutt]

Atlantic Firearms has CETME .308s for $499. That's a pretty cheap mag fed, semi-auto option. I've read that Century Arms CETMEs can be hit or miss, but Atlantic Firearms has some pretty good customer service, so I'm sure they would be willing to make things right if something was wrong.

I for one would prefer to get a DSA FAL or PTR HK91 clone, but there is a significance difference in price over the CETME.

[rhineoshott]

Long range and semi-auto is hard to get at a good price.
You might look at some HK clones (HK91, 93, 21) I've seen those for about $700 semi-auto, and 308. I have no experience with these guns, so I can't really speak for their accuracy.

[rhineoshott]

Ha! we came up with the same answer independently. I didn't see yours. Two minds make a right!

[Batteriesnare]

I'm a big fan of the Remington R-25. AR style platform in .308, comes with 5 round magazine so it can be used for hunting, and is in a cool camo finish! I had the R-15 (.223) version and it was very accurate and well made!

http://www.remington.com/product-fam...odel-r-25.aspx

[rhineoshott]

I'm a big fan of the Remington R-25. AR style platform in .308, comes with 5 round magazine so it can be used for hunting, and is in a cool camo finish! I had the R-15 (.223) version and it was very accurate and well made!

http://www.remington.com/product-fam...odel-r-25.aspx

What $$ do they run?

[esaabye]

Just to clarify, price is an issue but not THE issue, I was thinking under 1500.

[rtr]

DPMS LR 308 can be had for around $1000.

[Batteriesnare]

What $$ do they run?

I've seen them locally at Dick's Sporting Goods for $1299. I'm sure you can find it cheaper than that, probably around $1100, leaving you some bread for a sight.

I like the rifle tho. Barrel is factory free floated, good trigger, over all just well made. Good luck!